Toddler Approved Brussels Sprouts

I never thought I liked Brussels sprouts ... until I was pregnant and HAD to have them. Since then I've refined my recipe and can honestly say my 2 year old enjoys it (especially cold as leftovers the next day)!

Ingredients:
32 ounce bag of Brussels sprouts
Coconut oil
(optional but not vegetarian/vegan - bacon grease and/or pieces of cooked bacon)
Pinch of salt
Balsamic vinegar
Tobasco sauce
Soy sauce (or tamari if gluten free)
(optional but not vegan {contains fish} - Worcestershire sauce)
Mustard (pretty much any kind but plain yellow)

Tools:
Cutting board
Knife
Bowl for trimmed sprouts
Small bowl for mixing sauce
Large pot
Fork
Spoon for stirring the cooking sprouts

If your sprouts are not already washed, rinse and thoroughly dry them.

Trim off the dry, rough edge of each sprout, then cut in half (or quarters, if they are particularly large). Put trimmed sprouts in a bowl until the pot is ready.

Turn your burner on medium low heat and add a generous amount of coconut oil. If using bacon grease, use a little less coconut oil. (In my picture example, I actually needed just a little more coconut oil.)

Allow the oil to completely melt and come up to temperature, 1-2 minutes.

Carefully add the sprouts. It will most likely splatter a bit! Add the pinch of salt, then stir until all the sprouts are well coated in the oil.

(While prepping the sauce, give the sprouts a stir every 2-3 minutes.)

In your small bowl, add 10-12 dashes Tobasco sauce and 5-6 dashes Worcestershire sauce, if using. Pour in 1-2 ounces soy sauce and 2-3 ounces Balsamic vinegar (you want more vinegar than soy sauce).

Add 2-3 dollops of mustard or a few good squirts.

Use the fork to whisk it all together. Set aside.

This is the step that takes the longest. You want to cook the sprouts, stirring every few minutes, until over half of them have started to brown and caramelize. For me, this takes about 20 minutes. (It can be done faster with less oil and a bit more heat but I find it much harder to catch the right moment that way.)

I am aware this is probably technically over cooking the sprouts, but the end result is delicious.

Once you have some nice brown caramelized bits, turn your heat down by roughly 1/3 - 1/2. Pour in your sauce mixture, being careful not to breathe in the steam - steamy vinegar is not pleasant! Stir to thoroughly coat the sprouts, then stir occasionally until the sauce thickens/evaporates.

When you can draw aside the sprouts and no sauce oozes out, you can turn off the heat.

Serve up and enjoy your Brussels sprouty goodness! We really love this recipe, we have it nearly weekly. I hope you enjoy it too!